Gustáv Husák leads the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia

The second stage of ‘Czechoslovakian normalisation’ is associated with Gustáv Husák. During accession to the function, which he performed until 1987, he probably had a different vision of how to manage the state. But he increasingly had steps forced on him by leaders in the USSR and domestic conservatives. This was the period of Neo-Stalinism for Slovakia: mild persecution with mild welfare paid for by the outward loyalty of citizens. Conditions to reform communism never arose again.